Enhanced photodegradation of 3-nitro-1, 2, 4-triazol-5-one by FeCuO bimetallic catalyst supported on mesoporous carbon nitride

3-Nitro-1,2,4-triazol-5-one (NTO) is one high energy and insensitive single explosive that has been applied in insensitive ammunition in recent years. However, the high deposition of NTO after detonation and the challenge of wasterwater treatment during its productive process are the key concerns of the environmental issue and safe manufacture. The catalytic performance of the traditional Fe-based catalysts for the decontaminating wastewater owing to the high stability of the triazole ring of NTO. To address this problem, FeCuO/mpg-C₃N₄ was prepared by depositing Fe-Cu oxides on mesoporous carbon nitride (mpg-C₃N₄) as the catalysts of photo Fenton process. After optimizing the metal ratio and screening the reaction condition, FeCuO/mpg-C₃N₄(5:5, 6%) exhibited the unprecedent k value of 0.10669 min⁻¹ (96.4% degradation after 30 min) in the photo degradation of NTO (λ > 400 nm; 1000 mg/L FeCuO/mpg-C₃N₄; 40 mg/L NTO) and maintained high catalytic activity after 2 cycles (k₁ =0.09491 min⁻¹, k₂ =0.08607 min⁻¹). By characterizing thoroughly the catalysts, the synergetic effect of Fe-Cu bimetallic oxide and the contribution of the carbon nitride in the photo Fenton process have been evidenced, which presents an efficient, environmentally friendly, and cost-effective approach for treating NTO wastewater, offering a novel method and concept for addressing other challenging-to-degrade organic pollutant wastewaters.